Jury convicts Ohio couple on pill mill charges

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A federal jury broke a deadlock and convicted a husband and wife of running an Ohio pill mill that illegally prescribed thousands of painkillers.

The case in Cincinnati was among several brought in recent years to help stem what's considered an epidemic of illegal painkiller distribution. It also illustrated the difficulty of such prosecutions, as the jury struggled with the case since beginning deliberations Thursday.

The jury acquitted Nancy and Lester Sadler of several charges but issued several guilty verdicts Tuesday. The panel acquitted a third person on trial altogether, employee Sandy Wells.

The Sadlers were each convicted of operating Ohio Medical and Pain Management in Waverly as a continuing criminal enterprise, a charge carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and up to life in prison.

The jury, which had to be ordered back to work by U.S. District Court Judge Sandra Beckwith after twice saying it was deadlocked, also convicted the couple of one count each of conspiracy and maintaining a premise for the purposes of distributing drugs.

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The jury also convicted Nancy Sadler of one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering for the illegal purchase and sale of 40,200 units of hydrocodone in order to purchase a convertible. The couple was taken into custody after the verdict.

Trial testimony revealed the clinic was open three or four days per week, charging new customers $180 for an initial visit and $125 to $150 for returning visits. Witnesses testified that customers received only a cursory check-up from a doctor.

U.S. Attorney Carter Stewart said the defendants benefited financially on the backs of others' misery.

"Prescription drug diversion and the related crimes that accompany it are emerging as an increasing threat to the region's safety," Stewart said.

Lester Sadler's attorney said his client was at best guilty of being an absentee clinic operator who was taken advantage of by an unscrupulous doctor and employees.

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"Mr. Sadler in my view did all he could to open and maintain a good decent medical clinic," Richard Goldberg said Wednesday. "The government did not put on a single expert witness to say that this clinic was maintained improperly by medical standards."

The 2010 indictment alleged clinic employees had orders to set up enough appointments to fill 30 to 40 prescriptions of powerful painkillers a day.

The government said workers who met the quota would receive a week's pay for three or four days' work, while those who slipped up got less.

Three other defendants pleaded guilty earlier in the case.

Brenda Banks, a former doctor, pleaded guilty to one count of acquiring or possessing a controlled substance by deception. Banks was accused of helping clinic operators and employees use her medical license to order nearly 220,000 pills of the painkiller hydrocodone

In March, Lisa Clevenger, Nancy Sadler's sister, pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a drug premises in connection with her work at Ohio Medical and Pain Management in Waverly.

In December, James Sadler, Lester Sadler's father, pleaded guilty to one count of diverting controlled substances.

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Andrew Welsh-Huggins can be reached at http://twitter.com/awhcolumbus.